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Yes indeed, travel ball peeps. Father’s Day is right around the corner. If your paternal figure is a baseball or softball dad, he deserves an extra big thank you for all the backyard catch playing and BP, defending your skills to countless know-nothing umpires and shelling out sha-qua-zillions of dollars per year on bats alone.

I think we’ll all agree that he deserves a nice gift. One that looks like you’ve put more than 7 seconds of thought into it. Or at least not another necktie.

Here are a few ideas suggested to us by real life travel softball and baseball dads.

A Nice Watch: Every dad needs a dependable timepiece that looks as good on the bleachers as it does in the boardroom. Our favorites these days come from Prostyle Watches, designed by former MLB player Mike Daniel.

Air Freshener/Car Charger: Does Dear Ole Dad regularly play the role of taxi driver to and from practices and tournaments? Yes? Then the inside of his vehicle probably smells like a potpourri of decaying feet, rancid batting gloves and month-old, carmelized onion rings. Give him something good to inhale. (Something legal! Get your minds out of the gutter, people!)

A Clever Brewski Disguise: Sometimes Dad just needs a beer. Like on those hot Sunday tournament afternoons, where the games are stretching on for hours and little Johnny is riding that pine like a boss.

Quarterback Action: For a super fun gift that Dad doesn’t even know he wants yet, we suggest the QB54football goal, ball field chair game set. Go from watching Junior’s pool play game to starring in your own football showdown with the other dads in under 60 seconds! Those mind-numbingly long mid-tourney breaks will become the highlight of the weekend with QB54.

Play QB54 anywhere! At the beach, at tailgating events, at the church picnic, in the courthouse parking lot while waiting for your case to be called.

Choose from black, blue,, navy, green, red and camo.

Genuine Leather and Baseball Threading: One thing that all travel ball dads have lots and lots and lots of is money. (Or so it seems.) Give him a nice place to store all that green stuff that also reminds him of where he’ll be spending it.

A New Favorite T-Shirt: Most dads have plenty of shirts in the closet, but there’s usually a special one that he’ll wear so often that after a few years, it finally disintegrates into a small pile of threads in the bottom of the dryer. Now that’s true love. This Father’s Day, resist the urge to get Dad yet another Polo shirt that he’ll wear occasionally to church or a barbecue. Get him a new FAVORITE t-shirt! One he’ll live in and long for while it’s in the laundry.

Two Seam Threads makes the softest, lightest-weight, super comfortable t-shirt that we’ve ever beheld…or beworn. (My husband hasn’t taken his off in five months.) Plus, it’s got a cool design that fits right in at tournaments and makes even the most inept, bookwormish dad appear to know a thing or two about baseball.

Two Seam Threads Baseball Apparel Tee – $19.95

The Seeds to Happiness: If Dad loves a good bag of sunflower seeds, (and most of them do), satisfy his snack cravings with a cornucopia of the most popular David sunflower seed flavors. Don’t see Dad’s favorite flavors here? Click on them anyway and check out all the other taste options on Amazon. They have Bacon, Old Bay and many more!

David Sunflower Seeds Variety Pack – $29.99What Anger? Here’s a helpful guidebook for the dad who’s always watching tournament games from the parking lot….. because he’s been banished there by the umpire….once again. Maybe give this to Dad anonymously. Or drop it and run.

To complete the disguise, have something like “INSULIN” or “LIVE ORGAN FOR TRANSPLANT” monogrammed across the back of it. (Or would that be the front? Ya know, I’ve never thought about that before. Would the front of a backpack really be the back? Or vice versa?)And one more at no extra cost!

Murder, Betrayal and Little League! If Dad is a reader and loves a good mystery, he won’t be able to put down Open Season, the latest from author and baseball mom Alisa Schindler. E-book $3.99, Paperback $14.99. “Little league head coach Wayne Savage is at the top of his game. A big personality with a bigger ego, he’s both respected and reviled by a good many players, parents and coaches. But love him or hate him, Coach Wayne is a winner, his players are winners, and anyone who has anything negative to say about it is clearly a loser. But that was yesterday. Today Wayne Savage is dead at home plate. Now the team must scramble to keep it together as one assistant coach makes a play for the widowed wife and the other guns for the head coach cap, all while a murder investigation points fingers at everyone. With foul play, major league scandal and a glimpse into the inner politics of small town sports, little league baseball has never been less appropriate for 12 year-olds.”

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Angela Weight

Founder and publisher of Travel Ball Parents.com, Angela Weight is still a little shocked to be running one of the most popular youth sports parenting sites on the web. Click the ABOUT US tab to read her story.